When Ghosts Remain
by LovePoisonedHeart
Summary: What happens after the death of Sweeney Todd, his victims, and Mrs. Lovett? Well, a woman buys said 'haunted' shop only to find that the ghost of a barber remains in the barber shop and he doesn't take too kindly to her... Todd/OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not and will not own Sweeney Todd. I mean I do own the DVD that I bought but no, I do not own any of the characters and etc. from Sweeney Todd.

A/N: Hello my fellow readers! ;) So here is my first Sweeney Todd story. Or you could say second. Anyways, I hope everyone likes it and please leave a nice review? I'll try my best to keep the characters in character since it is something new for me. I'm usually writing stories about the Pirates of the Caribbean but I thought, I might as well start a Sweeney Todd story since I love it so much! So read on and please leave a review!

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Introduction:

It had been over five years since the death of Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd's victims, and last but not least, Sweeney Todd. As we enter the what used to be the old Mrs. Lovett's pie shop, we can tell no one had resided in it for many a year for layers of dusts masked over every inch and cobwebs hung in every dark corner. The pie shop was just like it was many years ago with the exception of spoiled pies and dust layers.

The government had put up the shop for sale but everyone had their superstitions that the place was haunted when they heard about the killings committed by a barber and his partner in crime. So everyone had refrained from buying the shop... But oh no, those superstitions didn't stop a young woman of twenty-five from taking the shop off the hands of the government for a cheap price. As we focus on the composure of the woman, we can infer that she was a woman of great confidence and worked hard for her living.

And here the story was going to take place… of a woman who comes upon a strange encounter that she thought was make believe but instead, it was reality.

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The woman had entered upon the old Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium with curious wonder filling her senses. Her soft brown eyes scanned the shop and she frowned with disgust at the filthiness of the shop. There was spoiled food on the counter and cockroaches were crawling about on the ground.

"Strange." The woman whispered, as an eerie feeling crawled up her spine. She had ventured further into the shop and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard an unforgettable cold harsh yet quiet laugh that echoed throughout the shop. Fear prickled up the back of her neck and she gulped nervously with widened eyes.

"Hello?" she said but got nothing but an uncanny silence in return. The woman walked into another room and spotted a piano with a few crinkled piano music sheets on top. She then dashed out of the shop with terror and ran up to the old barber shop. She shoved the key through the keyhole and twisted it, making the door click unlocked. Pushing the door open, she gazed around the plain room with astonishment.

'_If anything, this place isn't haunted,' _she said mentally, trying to calm her panicking self. A glint of metal caught her eye and she tilted her head to see a box sitting on a vanity filled with shiny silver razors except one seemed to be missing. She walked over to the razors and picked one up before she wiped the razor with her skirt to remove the dust.

'_These are my friends… see how this one shines… in the light… my friends!' _A voice sang huskily.

She glanced around in fear and flicked open the razor, clutching onto the razor so tightly that her hands became pale. "Who's there?" she called as her heart began to beat faster and faster with panic. "Show yourself!"

'_You shall drip rubies… precious rubies…' _the voice died down.

She took many steps around the room and jumped up as the razor box slammed closed. She looked at the box to see a pale sickly hand on the lid and her eyes traveled upward to the person. "Who are you?" she demanded as she lifted the blade up with trembling hands.

The man glared at her with pitched-black eyes but spoke not a word until a couple minutes later. "Todd. Sweeney Todd." The man spoke in a ghostly whisper that she had to strain her ears to listen. "This is my shop."

"You listen here, Mister Todd. I just bought this place from the government and I'm not letting you steal my property." The woman snarled and stomped towards Sweeney with the blade pointed directly at him.

"Hah." Sweeney mocked coldly as he opened his razor box and pulled one out also. "This has been my property for many years now. And who are you?" he grunted gloomily as the woman seemed to ponder over if she would give her name or not.

"Anne-Marie Wilkinson." The woman said and jutted her chin out with pride. "Well? Are you leaving?"

"Miss Wilkinson, this is my shop and I will not be leaving my shop." Sweeney growled menacingly and took a couple steps toward her making her hand tremble with alarm and anger.

"I'll call the police on you!" Anne-Marie let out a cry of shock when she felt his hand wrap around her neck and slam her against the wall. The blade in her hand fell to the floor with a loud ringing clatter. She felt the cold blade against her skin and she took quick breaths to calm herself. His hand seemed to tighten even more and she felt like her lungs were about to explode. She reached up to tug at his hand but what happened was something strange. Her hand glided through his hand yet she could feel his fingers wrapped around her slender neck. Her face paled at the sight of this as she stared into his black eyes that held sadness and hatred.

"Go 'head and call the police. S'not like they would listen to a madwoman rant, would they? They most likely will send you to Bedlam." Sweeney laughed at her sheer face of fear.

"W-what are you?" Anne-Marie rasped huskily from the lack of air coming into her system. She whimpered when she felt the blade getting pushed further against her throat.

"Get out." Sweeney dragged her to the door and smirked icily as she shook her head with defiance.

"I will not." She said rebelliously even though she wasn't in much of the position to be arguing. "I paid for this shop-,"

"This has been my shop for many years, now get out!" Sweeney roared as she jumped up in fright.

Her face drained even more color when she remembered the stories that were told. _The place is haunted… A mad barber used to slit throats of people and now his ghost remains… _She recalled stories from a couple of locals that knew about Fleet Street. '_No, they weren't true, were they?_' Anne said mentally to herself but then she remembered when her hand flew right through his. "Yo-you're Sweeney Todd… the gho-ghost." She stammered as her heart pounded louder in her ear. She felt as if her heart would jump out of her and run for its life. The man had intimidated her and almost killed her a moment ago…

"Hah." Sweeney grunted and glared angrily at her with annoyance. "Get out!" he bellowed and she flinched.

"I will come back! I own this place and I'm not letting it go to waste." Anne narrowed her eyes at him as he twitched with resentment. She definitely was going mad… Wasn't she seeing things? Those were signs of madness… Anne fled from the shop and headed back downstairs to the pie shop. She reached up and rubbed her neck, trying to remember the feeling of the invisible hands that touched her. Who did that man think he was?

Anne then started to clean up the shop by sweeping the dust out and cleaning off the cobwebs in the corners. She pondered to herself about the crazy man upstairs. Why did he seem so cold… so angry? Maybe it was her fault… After all, she did intrude into his home… But then again, she bought the place with her own money in which she slaved to earn.

Tomorrow, she would try to befriend him… Yes, she would. She didn't want to make an enemy so quickly… But was he the real Sweeney Todd, the said murderer who slit innocent men's lives? Hopefully not…

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A/N: What does everyone think? Please leave a review and tell me if I should continue! Or else, this story will be dead. Sorry but that's how it works. So bye and thanks if you leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks my reviewers for the fantastic reviews! :D I hope Sweeney Todd doesn't get out of character. I only watched the movie three times! So please have pity on me? :) And thanks for reading. Hope everyone likes this chapter!

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The next day, Anne-Marie started on her plan to befriend Sweeney Todd. She slowly left her shop and climbed up the stairs to the barbershop. She leisurely entered the small shop only to find it completely empty.

"Mister Todd?" she whispered quietly and looked around the room expectantly. "I just wanted to apologize for my intrusion yesterday." All of a sudden, the ghost of Sweeney Todd appeared right in front of her face. "Oh." She gasped with shock and took a few steps away from him. "I thought we might as well start over and be friends."

Sweeney scoffed with annoyance and walked away from her, stopping to pause at his window. _'Besides, everyone deserves to die...' _he thought as a sinisterly smirk formed on his face.

Wait!" Anne hissed desperately and pursued him with haste. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What is there to say?" Sweeney said monotonously and glanced out of the huge window in his shop.

"That you forgive me! Or something of the like!" Anne growled with anger. How infuriating that barber was! He should have said something but no, he didn't!

"Huh…" Sweeney grunted and narrowed his eyes at a family he spotted outside of his shop. Why couldn't he have a family? At least he had gotten revenge on that bloody judge…

"Are you even listening to me?" Anne snapped and tried to shake his body but her hands flew right through him. She couldn't even touch him yet he could touch her, how unfair was that!

"Yes." Sweeney muttered as the family disappeared from his view. Oh, how his blood boiled at the thought of the judge… His lust for blood was growing again. He needed to kill something, someone… His eyes adverted to Anne and a faint smile crossed his face. He was going to kill her… She was annoying him and was pestering him. And lastly, she was claiming HIS shop her shop. He might as well play along with her little game and then slash her throat when he felt his desire the most. He would destroy the entire London population one day… One day, he would kill every bloody bastard in the whole world…

Anne wanted to know if he really was the murderer yet she was afraid to ask incase he might strike out at her. But curiosity got to the best of her… "How did you become a ghost?" she asked as he turned his head sharply at her question.

"Mind your own business, Miss Wilkinson." Sweeney snarled as a small glimpse of fright flickered across her face. He smirked inwardly, feeling pure pleasure of knowing he scared her.

"Well excuse me for trying too hard to be a friend." Anne snapped irately; the fear that she had immediately washed away. "If we're to be neighbors, then it'd be better if we act somewhat respectable to each other."

Sweeney twitched a little and his hand reached for his razor in his belt. He advanced toward his prey, preparing to strike upon the right moment. Bloody woman was already annoying him…

Anne backed away from the madman as he came towards her. She couldn't believe she was letting this man keep HER shop that she had paid for. Her back hit the solid wall as she felt his cold breath against her forehead while he towered over her. She felt his strong hand wrap around her neck like yesterday…

Suddenly the door flew open and a man barged into the shop. "This shop is haunted, I tell you ma'am!" the man yelped and Sweeney glared at the man although the man couldn't see him. The man was fairly handsome and had nice short brown hair and beautiful brown eyes.

"It is?" Anne gasped for air as Sweeney let go of her neck and stepped away from her. "I hadn't noticed." She told untruthfully, hoping she would gain some respect from Sweeney.

"You got to leave here quickly!" the man panted and stepped closer towards her as if to usher her out of the shop.

"But I paid for this shop… Sir. And this is the only place I could afford in London." Anne protested as the man shook his head in disagreement.

"Well, I'll tell you, ma'am… See there was this foolish barber and 'e went mad after they sent 'im to the Australia upon false charges… He then slit the throats of innocent men and now his ghost remains…"

"And you are?" Anne asked with her eye on Sweeney who was shooting a deathly glare towards the young man. It made her wonder why he hated people so much... or he acted like he hated people...

"Tobias Ragg, Miss…" the man said sincerely, completely oblivious to the ghostly Sweeney who stood only a few feet away from him.

"Miss Anne Wilkinson." Anne stated proudly and started to exit the shop with Tobias. She informed herself that she would come back upstairs later to check up on Sweeney to see if his mood had changed.

"Well, you see, I used to work here when I was a boy… with a lady… Mrs. Lovett… Treated me like a son, she did. That was until I found out about Mister Todd being a murderer and she being his partner in crime." Tobias said solemnly, his eyes somewhat filling with water.

"How did Mister Todd die?" she asked curiously, her eyes shining bright with interest.

"I… killed him. But I had too! You see he killed all those innocent men and especially Mrs. Lovett. I can't believe I trusted them." Tobias replied sadly. "But… I always get this scary feeling up in the shop… That's why I say it's haunted."

He had no idea that it was actually haunted by a ghost. Anne's eyes traveled back up to the door of the shop as they walked downstairs. Anne supposed she did enough prying into Sweeney's life and decided to not speak about him anymore for the rest of the day… Or she tried not to speak about him to Tobias.

"Well, I was thinking about opening a pie shop…" Anne said aloud, trying to think of what to name her shop. Tobias had a look of utter disgust and fear.

"Mrs. Lovett used human meat in her pies!" Tobias exclaimed and grimaced. The pies tasted so heavenly until he found out that they were made of human flesh, the same men that went up to get a shave from Sweeney Todd, the same men that were killed without mercy...

Anne laughed at his phobia of pies. "Don't worry… These pies won't have human meat in them. I promise you."

"Good." Tobias relaxed and walked inside of the old pie shop with Anne. His eyes traveled across the old furniture and it reminded him of his past. Sadness clenched inside of his heart and he winced as painful memories appeared in his mind.

"Are you… all right?" Anne asked with concern. _Mrs. Wilkinson's Meat Pies sounds good _she mused and a thin smile flickered across her face.

"Yes. Just old memories coming back to haunt me." Tobias replied gloomily. How much Sweeney Todd had traumatized him… "I suppose you'll need help running this shop… I'll be glad to help you out."

"Really?" Anne beamed with excitement. "Well, you could help me out now by sweeping out the cockroaches and such…"

"Right, ma'am." Tobias said and spotted a broom against the wall. He quickly grabbed it and started to clean up the shop.

"I'll be right back… I'll just lock up the barbershop upstairs." Anne lied and started to slip out the door. "You wait down here." She waited until Tobias nodded his head before she ran up the stairs to the shop and flung the door open.

"Mister Todd." Anne said with her eyes focused on the ghost who was messing with his razors.

"Yes?" he growled in a low voice as he picked up a picture frame with a woman and a baby in it.

"Could you at least be civil!" Anne snarled and clenched her fists at her sides.

"Civil?" Sweeney scoffed and threw the small frame down before he stomped towards her. "Why should I owe anything to you?" he lifted a razor and pressed it against her neck, making a small cut.

"You don't… But common courtesy is required." She gulped nervously as the blade was pushed further into her neck.

"Hah! Common courtesy… No one deserves it. Not even you, Miss Wilkinson, not even I!" Sweeney growled with furious rage and shoved her out of his grasp. " We all deserve to die."

Anne stared at him with absolute bafflement and fear. "Why is that?" she asked meekly as his black eyes glared into hers.

"Why? Because there's a hole in the world like a great black pit and it's filled with people who are filled with shit and the vermin in the world inhabit it." Sweeney roared, and most surprisingly, Tobias didn't even hear Sweeney yell.

"What has the world ever done to you!" Anne shouted, regaining her courage to yell. _'This man is insane!' _she thought to herself as she gaped at him.

"Plenty enough damage!" he snarled and clutched his razor in his hand tightly so his hand turned even paler. "And get that lad out of your shop!"

"And what does he have to do with this! He's an innocent-," Anne retorted contemptuously, her face filling with anger.

"GET OUT!" Sweeney yelled hatefully, seething each second they argued and fought, wishing that he could somehow just rid of her and Tobias.

"You think you can tell everyone what to do! But guess what, you're not the bloody King around here!" she screeched fiercely, wanting nothing but to rid of the annoying ghost.

"GET OUT!" Sweeney bellowed again and pointed his silver razor at her to threaten her away, but she didn't move.

"I own this shop!" Anne trembled with immense rage while Sweeney just growled in reply.

Sweeney clenched his jaws together as he twitched with antagonism, feeling like he would stab her any second. "OUT!" he charged at her with the razor and swiped it in the air. Her eyes widened with terror and she dashed towards the door for the sake of her life.

Anne ran hastily out of the shop and returned back to the shop below, nearly bumping into Tobias upon opening the door. She let out a small scream of surprise and took heavy breaths to soothe herself.

"Are you all right, miss?" Tobias asked genuinely and placed his broomstick against the wall before he pulled Anne to sit down on a chair. "I heard a lot of yelling upstairs. What's going on?" He wondered who she was talking to... but he kept his mouth shut.

"N-nothing." Anne wheezed with apprehension, wishing that Sweeney and her would get on better terms. "I just saw some little bug up there."

"If you say so." Tobias said although he doubted that she saw a bug but a ghost…

"Yes… Let's finish cleaning up." Anne said quietly, pushing herself off the chair while Tobias agreed willingly. She only hoped for Sweeney to be in a better mood tomorrow. What could she give him to make him more… friendly? She still was curious about him and wanted to know more about this barber. What was his life like? Did he have a family? Those questions haunted her and she tried to break through the swarms of questions that grew but they wouldn't allow her to prevail. She only wished for the best between the both of them…Sweeney and her.

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A/N: Please leave a nice review! :) I'll be very thankful.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I first off want to thank my lovely reviewers for leaving reviews for my last chapter. Sorry about the delay on the update. School is busy and I am writing another story at the same time. So, anyways, here is the new chapter! And I hope everyone enjoys it. And please leave a review! :)

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Anne-Marie awoke to the sound of pacing up in the barbershop. She heard each and every step Sweeney made upstairs and it was driving her to the edge of her sanity. "Would that bloody barber keep quiet!" she hissed with annoyance to herself and pushed her self out of bed while throwing a cream colored robe on. She blinked a couple of times, adjusting her eyes to the darkness of the shop before she lit a lamp with a match, and carried the lamp with her to guide her way through the pitched-black room.

She slowly crept outside, taking small quiet steps so the barber wouldn't hear. She pushed open the door to his… HER shop and the bell jingled causing Sweeney to immediately glance at her.

"What are you doing in my shop?" Sweeney whispered angrily, his black eyes narrowing at her.

"If you'd stop pacing, then maybe I wouldn't be up here! Just because you don't sleep, it doesn't mean others don't sleep either!" she yelled as a sickening smile twisted its way onto Sweeney's face.

"Who needs sleep anyways?" Sweeney mocked, his voice sounding as cold as ice.

"I do." Anne felt the urge to slap the ghost but of course, he wouldn't feel a thing.

Sweeney's upper lip curled up with disgust as he started to pace around his shop again. His blood was boiling like a smoldering pot of water and his patience was running short. He couldn't take a second longer of her annoying presence…

"I'm rather surprised there isn't a hole in your shop for as much pacing as you do." Anne scorned as his angry eyes pierced through her with outrage. She wasn't much in the mood for being nice… After all, without sleep, she was as grumpy as a sour old man.

"Aren't much of a lady, are you, MISS Wilkinson? Perhaps that's the reason why you don't have a husband." Sweeney retorted coolly but he really was blowing up like a volcano inside of his head.

"I could almost say the same for you." Anne growled surly while noticing him tense up upon her words. " You aren't much of a gentleman… and you have no wife nor family."

What did SHE know about HIS family? He twitched with hatred and suddenly leapt upon her, his hand wrapping around her skinny neck, choking her. "I do have a family." He whispered dangerously in her ear and she shivered with disgust yet at the same time she enjoyed it.

"If you do… Where are they?" she rasped as she tried to gasp for air. He probably was lying for all she knew just to spite her.

"That's none of your concern." He snarled and slammed her hard against the wall causing her to cry out in pain. Somewhere, his Lucy was out there… up in heaven while he remained down below in the hellhole filled with vermin and people filled with shit. Why was he a ghost? Why was he left to suffer down in the hole in the world like a great black pit?

"Then there is no proof… if you're lying or not." Anne wheezed, feeling faint from the lack of air. She lifted her hands and threw them at his body but they went through him… What could she do to remove his hands?

His eyes were narrowed into slits and if they got any smaller, it would look like his eyes were closed. "I once had a family until they were taken away…" his voice softened at the thought of his family… His Lucy… His Johanna… but they all were gone… They were nothing but ghosts of the past…

His grip loosened and Anne was finally able to take in a breath. "I…I'm sorry." She whispered with pity, not realizing her mistake until he started to yell at her.

"I don't need your pity or anyone's pity!" Sweeney bellowed, as the room seemed to shake from his loud thundering voice. "As long as I'm down in this rotten hellhole, I will have my vengeance!" He threw her out of his grasp like a doll, flinging her into his barber chair. He took out a razor and pressed it against her throat, preparing to slit her throat like all his other victims.

Anne whimpered with fear, frightened to death… But never in the world would she show him she was afraid. She would fight for her life; struggle to live! "Get off me you insane barber! You're dead and you should face the facts!"

"No more woman! I will not live to listen to this blasphemous!" Sweeney growled and pushed the blade further against her neck. Who was she to tell him what to do?

"You're not living!" Anne cried and the door flew open just in time, revealing Tobias Ragg, her savior.

"Miss Wilkinson! Are you alright?" Tobias ran to her side, not noticing the blade at her neck.

"Yes." Anne whispered as Sweeney removed the blade from her neck. "Yes." She repeated in a louder voice.

"You're bleeding!" Tobias exclaimed with horror and motioned towards her neck, the spot where Sweeney had placed his razor.

"It's nothing." Anne lied as Tobias shook his head in disagreement.

"I'll go downstairs and find something to clean you up." Tobias said and ran out of the shop before Anne could protest.

"You better be grateful… Bloody lad saved your life." Sweeney muttered and wiped off his knife on his clothes, leaving a dark red bloodstain on his white sleeve.

"Why are you trying to kill everyone?" Anne asked quietly as Sweeney placed his razor back into his box.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Wilkinson. And again, I must remind you to keep to your own business." He replied nonchalantly, his eyes landing on the picture frame that held a portrait of his wife and daughter. "We all deserve to die." He spat with anger and started pacing around his shop. Suddenly his eyes sparked up with excitement as his head turned to look at her. "You."

"What?" Anne queried and pushed herself out of the seat, wondering what had suddenly changed his mood.

"I'll let you live under one condition." Sweeney felt a smirk forming on his face as she nodded her head to encourage him to go on. "Bring me some customers." His bloody rushed with enthusiasm as the thought of slicing everyone's throat popped into his head. She was going to help him with his revenge… He would not stop killing until the entire London population was destroyed.

"Customers?" she questioned as he nodded his head curtly. _'Why in the world did he want customers,' _she wondered.

"Yes… I'll rid London of its vile malevolent creatures." He whispered the last part to himself although Anne heard it. "You bring must bring people up here for a shave. Either you accept or you die and I'll kill Toby." He lifted a razor at her and she nodded her head involuntarily for her life.

"Yes. Just don't kill me!" Anne pleaded with horror as he chuckled. She hoped she wasn't going to accused for the death of many citizens.

"Now leave me." He said calmly, which surprised Anne for he usually wasn't calm.

"Gladly." She muttered to herself but Sweeney heard her remark. She scrambled out of the chair and headed for the door, pausing when Sweeney spoke.

"And if we're going to work together, I expect you to be somewhat more respectable." Sweeney mocked with her words and she returned a heated glare.

"Fine!" Anne stomped her foot and pulled the door open angrily, storming downstairs to find Toby. '_That stupid arrogant barber_, _why couldn't he stop being so infuriating?' _Anne thought to herself.

"Who were you talking to up there?" Tobias asked when Anne irately pounded her feet when she walked into the shop. He sensed something was wrong… as if some spirit was up there and Anne could see it. If only he could get some proof…

"Oh… Just myself. I always think to myself. Silly me." Anne lied as a scowl formed onto her face. She hated being put in such predicament where she was being blackmailed and she felt useless for she couldn't get rid of the invisible barber.

"Here." Tobias handed a damp cloth to Anne for the cut on her neck, which was very suspicious to him. "Where'd you get that cut?"

" I had a rash." She lied again and felt guilty. It was that idiotic barber's fault! It was the only reason why she had to lie… "And I accidentally scratched myself." She started to wipe the blood off her cut, wincing as the rag touched her injured skin.

"Oh…" Tobias replied, although he doubted she scratched herself. The cut looked more like a razor was held to her throat… Familiar ghosts of the pasts haunted him and he immediately thought of the ghost of Sweeney Todd. Maybe a ghost was up there…

"Thanks Tobias. Now I suppose I'll need some ingredients for my pies and then we'll need to advertise our shop." Anne said and threw the rag down onto a table. "If you wouldn't mind to buy me the ingredients."

"No, not at all ma'am. Just write a list." Tobias smiled, encouraging her to write the list.

"Alright then." Anne returned a kind smile and walked around the shop, searching for a quill and an inkpot. She entered another room and dug in every cabinet but found nothing. "Seems like I don't have an quill or an inkpot."

"Why don't I check upstairs for you?" Tobias queried, although he had a lot more in mind what he would do upstairs. He was going to find out for himself if something was up there.

"No, no. It's fine. You just wait down here and I'll be back in a tic." Anne said and rushed outside and up the stairs. She made her way inside by pushing the door open causing the bells to jingle. She knew the barber wouldn't accept of her digging through his things, so she scanned the room for the ghost. "Mister Todd?" she whispered but nothing answered her. It was like the ghost was gone… She called his name once more but he never appeared so she took this as a chance to dig around through his things.

She rushed to the vanity and saw a picture frame, the same one Sweeney was holding a day ago. She picked it up and opened it, revealing a pretty woman and a baby. Were they his family? She hastily placed it back on the vanity and walked toward the huge chest in the room. Prying the lid open, the inside of the chest was stained red like bloodstains. Gasping, she accidentally let the lid slam shut, making a loud boom echo throughout the room.

This must've been the madman, the murder that killed people. She could see it in his face, those dark angry hateful eyes and his pale blank face that always looked like he was brooding or making a plan to avenge someone. And he admitted it himself that he would 'rid London of it's vile malevolent creatures'…

"Need something?" a gruff voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to spin around to face the man she was thinking about.

"Yes… A quill, an inkpot, and perhaps... a piece of parchment." Anne said as the ghost shuffled around his shop and dug in a cabinet, pulling out the supplies that she needed. "Thanks."

Sweeney grunted in response, handing her the objects roughly. "What are those for?"

"A list of ingredients for my pies. Tobias is going out to buy them." Anne said, watching him with a wary eye. "Oh, and I was wondering how your great plan is going to work. After all, you are a… ghost."

"I'll find a way." He muttered gloomily, his eyes becoming distant.

Anne just nodded her head understandingly. "May I ask you something?"

"Yes." Sweeney replied while his black eyes suddenly adverted to her eyes, making her heart leap a bit.

"What…" she hesitated a moment but continued when Sweeney nodded his head to encourage her. "What really happened to your- family?" She saw him tense at her question and he slowly relaxed after a few seconds. "It alright… you don't have to answer. I apologize for being so… presumptuous." She crept to the door but she felt his strong ungentle hand land on her shoulder.

"You see… There was a barber and his wife." Sweeney started to sing, a solemn sad tone filling her ears. "And she was beautiful. A foolish barber and his wife. She was his reason and his life. And she was beautiful. And she was virtuous. And he was… naïve."

The tone was so mournful it made tears form at the edges of her eyes but she kept on listening to his story, his tragic story.

"There was another man who saw, that she was beautiful. A pious vulture of the law, who with the gesture of his claw, removed the barber from his plate. Then there was nothing but to wait. And she would fall, so soft, so young, so lost, and oh so beautiful…"

"And the lady… what happened to her?" Anne asked as Sweeney's eyes snapped back to her face.

"Raped… by the judge and then took arsenic." He whispered in a barely audible voice. "I had a daughter too. The judge took her in as a ward… and intended to marry her… but she ran away along with a sailor and that was the last I heard of her."

"Then what's the use of murdering innocent people?" she asked, realizing his invisible hand was still on her shoulder. She felt the coldness of his hand radiating through the thin cloth of her dress and onto her skin.

"Oh, everyone is cruel… You are young… but you will learn." He said and stepped away from her while letting his hand drop limply to his side.

"Thanks Mister Todd." Anne said, gaining a curious face from Sweeney.

"For what?" he asked lowly.

"For being honest." She whispered and hurriedly left the shop to find Tobias. She couldn't help but to smile inwardly. They were getting on better terms...

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A/N: Thanks for reading! And a little reminder, please leave a review! It is greatly appreciated. :) And I now am open to constructive criticism. But no flames please! This is the first story that I'm accepting a little constructive criticism and please be nice? Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello again! I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers for the reviews! :) Sorry for the late posting too! I'm getting the writer's block, I suppose. Anyways, here is the chapter!

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Tobias had come back from the market and returned with his arms full of the ingredients. "Is everything alright, ma'am?" he asked softly, his eyes searching Anne's tired face.

"Yes. I just didn't get enough sleep." Anne replied with a yawn. If that barber hadn't awakened her, she probably would've been able to work. She was opening the shop up tomorrow and she had a lot of work to do but she didn't feel quite- alive enough to work.

"You wouldn't mind if I stayed tonight, would you? I really don't have a place to stay for the night. " Tobias queried as a plan formulated in his mind. He would sleep upstairs and find exactly what was haunting it. His best guess was that there was some spirit haunting it. And if there was, then he would find a person to help him rid of the ghost.

"Of course." Anne said nervously as chills of fear went up her spine. What if Tobias found out she was assisting a ghost?

"Great! I'll sleep upstairs." Tobias said enthusiastically but she disagreed with him, which made him even more suspicious.

"No. You can sleep down here and I'll sleep upstairs." she said, hoping he wouldn't argue back. He could not find out that there was a ghost up there... An evil ghost that wanted revenge...

"I don't know if you understand, ma'am. But there is something up there. And I know you can see it. Tell me what are you seeing?" Tobias questioned as Anne kept a calm façade.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She said untruthfully and twisted her hands behind her back. "I use upstairs as my little thought house… Sometimes I need a quiet place to get my thoughts out and upstairs is the perfect place."

"Then why don't I sleep upstairs?" he asked with persistence, not wanting to give up.

"Please. For your comfort. Guests deserve good treatment, and good treatment is what you'll have." She replied with a genuine smile. "So I'll just go upstairs now and take a nap. You can sleep down here."

"Thanks ma'am." He said before he left to another room to sleep. Although, he still doubted Anne's reply to what she saw up there.

Anne walked outside of her shop and climbed up the steps to Sweeney's shop, sluggishly opening the door, and heard a creak when the door opened. She did have a slight feeling of fear, but she remained as calm as she could be. "Mister Todd?" she whispered, but like earlier, no one replied. She spotted a cot in the room and walked over to it. She sat down on it and waited for Sweeney to show up; however, he never did. She waited. And waited. Not a sound came from the room and her eyes began to droop with sleepiness. She reminded herself to stay awake but her body felt so tired that she finally decided to give in to sleep.

* * *

Sweeney floated back to his shop through the walls and was about to sit in his cot but something or more precisely someone was occupying it. He took out his razor and stepped closer to the person, ready to rid of the sorry excuse of a person's life. He brought his razor closer to the person's neck and jumped back a little when the person groaned and rolled over. The person's black hair covered his or her face, which made it difficult for Sweeney to see exactly who it was. He attempted again to slice the person's throat but the head of hair looked too familiar. He pushed some hair out of the person's face and realized it was Anne.

His ghostly fingers traced the outline of her face, from her forehead to her jaw. He shivered for some reason and he recoiled his hand as if he were touching poison. Who was she to steal his cot? He was going to give her a rough awakening to teach her to not sleep in his cot, but something had stopped him. He didn't quite know what it was but it was a peculiar feeling that he couldn't right grasp.

He sheathed his razor and started to pace back and forth in front of his broken mirror. Why couldn't he just shove her out of his room? It was his room in the first place and he wanted revenge on every single person in the entire world. No, the only reason why he didn't shove her awake was because she was going to be part of his plan. '_Yes, that was the only reason.' _He coaxed himself in his mind. That blasted woman was using HIS cot in HIS room.

His eyes landed back on her and he grumbled to himself. He might as well find a way to remove her off his cot. But he still couldn't draw himself to drag her off, no matter what he thought of. He waited for her to wake but time ticked by slowly. He began pacing again and pondered on why he couldn't drag her off. There was some reason that he couldn't simply solve.

Anne stirred and his gaze instantly landed on her. He walked to his cot, stopping a few feet away from the bed to allow her some room.

"Mister Todd?" she groaned groggily as her eyes fluttered open. She immediately became alert and jumped out of his cot with panic. "I didn't mean to fall asleep in your cot!" she blurted out hastily. "I just- I let Tobias sleep downstairs and I needed a place to sleep and-,"

"Calm yourself woman!" Sweeney raised his voice slightly over hers, causing her to stop her rambling. "Now, slowly."

"Tobias is sleeping downstairs and I told him I'd sleep up here." Anne's gaze adverted to the ground with embarrassment. "I suppose I'll go sleep somewhere else… for you'd rather not be disturbed."

"No." he said in a whisper. "The cot is all yours." Sweeney didn't know what made him say that either. "Just don't cause a clamor while I'm around."

"Thanks." Anne said and he nodded his head subconsciously.

It was very irregular for Sweeney to receive thanks from someone. No one had thanked him for many years… except for Anthony who stole his Johanna. He stared blankly at her for a while yet it was unconsciously done.

"Mister Todd?" she queried, snapping him out of his thoughts. He had become quite amiable once she had agreed to his terms. She really didn't want to assist a murderer, but she was compelled to. It wasn't like she had a choice if she wanted to live. "Have you planned out an idea for customers?"

"Yes." He replied abruptly. "I have. You will make a flyer… to seek out an apprentice. And send him up here. I will then shortly dispose of him and clean it up."

"But these are innocent men-," Anne protested with fright of what might be the outcome of the mess.

"DO NOT QUESTION ME!" Sweeney bellowed and she shuddered with fright. He slowly calmed himself, trying not to scare her away. He didn't want to purposely scare her away… just yet… He needed her… for his plan. "I tell you one thing. All men are corrupt filthy vermin. There is not a single man that has not committed a sin and therefore, I shall get my vengeance."

Anne remained taciturn and nodded her head lamely. If she could only make him see that killing was not the answer…

"Now, do not question my motives for you know them well." Sweeney placed his hand roughly on her shoulder and guided her to the exit. "Post the flyers and we shall find some very good customers. Once killed, I will drop them off in the river Thames and let their corpses sink."

Anne gagged at the thought of dead corpses floating down the river. "Of course, Mister Todd. I'll have the flyers up by tomorrow." She replied quietly.

"Good. I'll make sure it is cleaned up so there'll be no blame on you." Sweeney said gruffly and opened the door for her to exit.

She walked out of his grasp and down the stairs, thinking of what the flyer should say. She had this strange feeling twirling in her stomach as if something bad was going to happen. She had to do something to stop it… but how? She shook her head with disappointment and entered upon her shop.

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A/N: Thanks for reading and please leave a review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey all! First off, I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers as always! :) I'm not supposed to be writing more of this story right now, I'm supposed to be doing homework. But... Shh! Okay? :D Anyways, I hope everyone likes this chapter! And thanks!

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Tobias was already up and about the shop, grinning from ear to ear. He was excited for the grand opening day or night. But he sensed something was up with Anne, for she appeared not too happy. "Something troubling you, ma'am?" he asked her when she came into the shop.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine." She replied, forcing a smile onto her face just to keep Tobias happy. She felt the guilt preparing to sink into her stomach as the thought of killing men came into her mind. She was going to be a criminal herself if she couldn't teach Sweeney that he shouldn't kill.

"So… perhaps you could teach me how to make a pie?" Tobias asked cheerily, hoping it would bring up her mood.

"Yes, of course. Let's get the ingredients out." Anne replied as Tobias started to place the things he bought yesterday onto the kitchen counter. "To make the crust, you first start out with flour in a bowl."

Tobias nodded his head with understanding. '_Flour first_,' he told himself. But his mind wandered off to the ghost upstairs. He would sneak upstairs when Anne wasn't around and prove his theory true. There was a ghost…

* * *

Sweeney paced around his shop, back and forth, around in circles, and finally decided to stand in front of his window to peer out at the vermin of the world. '_How naïve Anne is,'_ he thought to himself. If she only get into her head that the world was filled with people who are filled with shit. _"But these are innocent men-," _her voice played over in his mind. Hah. Innocent. Hardly.

The next thing was killing. He would soon be killing off the people as they entered upon his shop. Oh, how he craved blood all these years. He would finally be able to settle his lust for blood; he could just feel the joy brewing up in his body, especially in his hand that would bring his razors across a man's throat.

Sweeney let out a low growl, feeling quite impatient that there was no one coming into his shop. He floated through the ground and into the shop below him where Tobias and Anne resided in. She was teaching him to make pies and Tobias seemed distracted. By what though?

Sweeney boiled at the thought of Tobias, that rotten little boy that slit his throat and left him to remain in the world as a ghost. He clenched his jaw tighter as Toby glanced up at Anne with a happy expression. No one deserved to be happy, especially when he, himself, Benjamin, couldn't have happiness.

"I'll go see if I can find an apron." Anne said and left the room to another room to dig around for some clothing.

It seemed to be the right time for Sweeney to make his appearance, so he followed her right behind her. She bent over and started to dig in a cabinet, completely oblivious to him standing behind her.

"Aha! I found one!" Anne exclaimed and grabbed a hold of the apron before she whirled around with bafflement. She took a step back, realizing how close she was to him. Before she had the chance to say anything, Sweeney spoke up.

"Where are the flyers?" he questioned agitatedly, his voice icy and cold.

"Why are you down here in the first place?" Anne scowled as he narrowed his eyes at her. There was no way that she was not going to argue back.

"Where are the flyers?" he demanded persistently, not willing to answer her question.

"Not made." She hissed quietly, and started to walk away from him but his hand latched onto her arm, pulling her to a halt. "Let go of me."  
"Why are they not made?" he growled, his black eyes piercing through hers. He needed to kill someone quick and she wasn't helping at all.

"I hardly have time to make them today. I have a pie shop to run, not a murdering shop." She said rebelliously, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm from his hard grip. If she didn't fight back now, he'd probably think he overpowered her, and she was never going to let him think that.

"I want them done within an hour." Sweeney said huskily and let go of her arm. "Or there shall be drastic consequences."

"And who are you to dictate what I should do?" she replied heatedly. And she thought they were on better terms… Supposedly not… Besides, she was not going to back down without a fight. She was right and he was wrong.

His eyes widened, surprised at her boldness, but then he narrowed his eyes again at her. "You will listen or I shall end your life." Since when was she to argue back?

"I'm not a maid. And stop acting like an immature child." Anne snapped back, which only added more anger to Sweeney's head. She didn't care how angry he was; she was going to prove him wrong.

"You're the one who's immature." Sweeney lunged at her, and slammed her roughly against the wall. "Prepare those flyers." He whispered dangerously in her ear. "Or die."

"And what have these men done to you?" Anne asked quietly, staring back into the black eyes that held hatred and blood.

"Listen good, Miss Wilkinson. Whether you like to kill them or not, you don't have a choice." Sweeney growled, his face just a mere inch away.

"So be it. If I don't help you, you'll be stuck here for an eternity for there is no one else willing to come into this horrible filthy shop." She retorted, glaring right back at him.

Damn, she was right. He knew she was right. It would probably be another long five years or so when someone might dare to come into his shop. "Fine." He grunted with defeat. "But it will be done by tomorrow, or you'll find Tobias dead."

"Oh believe me, it will be done by tomorrow." She spat venomously as her eyes adverted to his pale lips. How did they look so inviting when the man was a malevolent murderer?

"Good." He replied, a little less gruff sounding than before. He could almost feel the warmth radiating off her body, the warmth of a living person. He stared at her pink lips that parted slightly. Her lips… were so close… and inviting… but it wasn't like Lucy's. They were slightly plump and a little bit thin.

"Good." She echoed, as their heads seemed to be coming closer together. Her body felt so cold… He was like a walking piece of ice that froze her. And… What was she doing? Just as they were about to touch lips, the both of them withdrew as quickly as they could.

Sweeney was completely baffled. What the hell was he doing? He let go of her and staggered away in a daze. He was just about to… kiss her? No, no, he was getting it all wrong. He wasn't about to kiss her; he was trying to scare her away.

Something was terribly wrong… Why was she about to kiss the man that infuriated her to death? No, she wasn't about to kiss him; she was angry with him and was about to fight back.

"Right… the pies!" Anne exclaimed, using an excuse to leave. She scurried out of the room, desperate for air. They were just arguing a second ago and then suddenly it was so… awkward. But she still didn't tell him killing wasn't the answer. How could she be so stupid and forget to not tell him that?  
"What took you so long?" Tobias asked as she returned to the kitchen with an apron.

"I couldn't find the apron." She lied, hating herself for lying to him. "There's too much junk in the room, so I could barely find it within the mess."

Tobias nodded his head, pretending he understood. There was something in the air… or maybe his head that made him feel uneasy. He sensed something bad was going to happen, but he was sure what was it.

Anne started to work on the pies for the night. Only within a few hours, the shop would be opened. But she felt troubled, not troubled about the grand opening, but about Sweeney. With his constant mood swings, she doubted she would be able to befriend him. Hopefully, he wouldn't harm her when she was to go to sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! And please leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey all! First off, thank you, my wonderful reviewers! And I'd like to thank everyone that voted in the poll that I put up. I know the results turned out to be a tie and I decided to continue on with my 'Pirate' story.

I'm so so sorry about the long wait for this chapter though! The truth is that I'm sort of losing my interest for this story... I definitely am losing my spark. Well, I'm not so... proud of this chapter, but hey, it is a chapter right? And it's better than no chapter at all. Well, I hope everyone likes this chapter, anyways. I don't know about an update soon cause I just don't feel like writing a Sweeney Todd story right now. And I'm really sorry to leave everyone hanging. But I will try not to leave this story unfinished.

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The grand opening night was one tiring night and Anne finally closed up the shop. They had received a lot of customers and earned a huge sum of money. She then wiped up all the tables along with the help of Toby, who proved to be a very helpful worker.

"Alright Toby. You can take a nap or so and I'll just finish off this last table." Anne dismissed him before she began to clean up the table with a rag. She let out an exhausted sigh before she tossed the cloth down onto the counter. "Maybe a bath would soothe my aching feet." She said aloud, and she walked to the bathroom.

When she entered upon the room, she grimaced with disgust at the horrifying sight. The tub was filled with bugs, some alive and some dead, and there was a huge cobweb in one of the corners of the room.

She really wanted a bath but the room was too filthy, so she decided to not take a bath. She headed back to the kitchen and got a bucket of water to quickly clean herself off. She splashed some water on her face and arms before she hurriedly walked to the living room to find her nightgown and robe draped over the couch.

She then glanced around to see if the area was empty before she started to undress. She fiddled with the laces of her dress and slid the dress off herself. Next came her corset but she froze midway when a gust of wind blew. She glanced at the window and saw that it was closed. She suddenly glanced behind her and saw Sweeney staring straight at her with his jaw hanging slightly ajar.

"What is wrong with you!" Anne shrieked and attempted to cover herself with her arms. "Stop staring at me!" she snatched up her dress and used it to shield herself. She held her breath, nervous and embarrassed at the same time.

The ghost flushed slightly and his eyes adverted elsewhere. "I had no idea you were— I'll just go upstairs." Sweeney said with embarrassment before he floated through the ceiling as his cheeks began to heat up some more. Why did he just stand there for?

Anne let go of her breath, although she still felt her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Slowly, she dropped her dress to the floor before she hurriedly undid the rest of her corset. She quickly tore off her bodice and threw on her nightgown and robe. She picked up her garments on the floor and threw them on the couch. She then left her shop, heading up the steps to the barbershop, still feeling her cheeks burning with intensity. She was almost afraid of meeting Sweeney after that embarrassing scene a moment ago.

She opened the door and let it shut behind her. Sauntering to the cot, she froze immediately when she spotted the ghost staring at her from his chair in the middle of the room. She gulped apprehensively, feeling quite uncomfortable with his gaze lingering on her. She felt like she should say something, but she didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to say something to the ghost, but no words could come out of her mouth. What was there to say?

She slowly resumed walking to the cot and sat down on it, and the ghost looked away from her. She let out a small sigh and lied down exhaustedly. She felt like she should thank him for letting her sleep here or something, even though she still was blushing. She sat up and looked at the chair where Sweeney was previously sitting to find him gone. "Mister Todd?" she cleared her throat, anxiously wondering where he could've gone. She stood up from the cot and spotted a stack of parchment on his vanity along with a quill and inkpot. He really did want those flyers up. She eyed the objects and gave a faint smile before she started on the flyers.

* * *

Toby waited for Anne to start talking to the ghost. It had been over two hours and he almost fell asleep on the spot. He was sitting outside of the barbershop, waiting patiently for that ghost to show up but it didn't. He peeked through the window and found her sleeping on the ground; her back was leaning against the wall and in front of her was a stack of papers with wording written on it. If he could just sneak in without the bells jingling, he would've read what was on the papers. He then walked downstairs, heading back to his room in the shop below. Hopefully the next time he tried, he would find his theory true…

Sweeney waited for the rotten little boy, he meant young man, to leave. He didn't like Toby digging and poking through his things and especially looking at Anne. It was not like he had a liking for Anne; he just didn't want Toby to look at her. It distracted and disturbed him that Toby would look at her. And it wasn't like she was pretty like his Lucy. She was too plain. Her eyes were just a regular shade of brown and her hair was black. She was slightly pretty, but Lucy was so beautiful, it made Anne look like she was plain. But why in first place was he thinking about how Anne looked? Stupid Toby always managed to get him off task… That was it.

He let out a low growl and his eyes adverted to Anne, who was slouched up against the wall. He sauntered towards her and picked her up, carefully carrying her to his cot. She was a lot heavier than she looked… He gingerly placed her down on his cot while he studied her face that looked so peaceful.

She mumbled something in her sleep and he wondered what she was dreaming of. He looked at the ground again and realized that she was making flyers for him. He felt strangely happy for a second, just a mere second.

He grabbed the objects on the floor and placed them on his vanity before he glanced back at Anne. He sat down on his chair and continued to stare at her. It made him wonder what was it like to be human again. What would it be like to taste something again? What would it be like to actually feel solid? He slowly drifted off into a light slumber, wishing he could be with Lucy…

* * *

Anne awoke to the sound of the bells jingling and then the slamming of her door. She sat up in the cot and peered straight at the door to see no one there. "Hello?" she called, squinting her eyes at the door.

Tobias was just outside of the barbershop, waiting for her to call the ghost's name, but she didn't. He just needed her to call the ghost's name once and that would confirm the truth. He suddenly felt a presence behind him and he spun around quickly to see nothing. "Strange." He said aloud before he sauntered back down the stairs to the shop below.

Sweeney used all his strength to stop himself from stabbing Tobias to death with his razors. The second he laid his eyes on the boy, he wanted to kill him, but oh no, Mrs. Lovett had ruined his chances. He would've probably still been alive if it weren't for that idiotic filthy boy.

Sweeney floated through the door and into the barbershop, his eyes focused on Anne who just climbed out of the cot. She suddenly looked at him with surprise, startled to see him.

"Good morning." She said in a daze as she rubbed her eyes. "I better make more flyers." She made a move for the flyers on the ground but they were all gone. "Where did I put them?"

"I put them right there." Sweeney said monotonously, pointing directly at the flyers on the vanity. "You fell asleep while making them."

"I've got to finish them before I open the shop." She walked to the flyers but froze when Sweeney walked in front of her.

"That's plenty enough." He said gruffly while he lifted up the finished flyers. "Just post them around St. Dunstan's Market. Surely some lad will see it."

"Of course." Anne nodded her head slowly, trying to comprehend what was going on. She was still in a somewhat sleepy mood and she wasn't fully awake. "But don't you think that… this is somewhat wrong?"

His eyes suddenly became harsh and angry, and his face scrunched up with disgust. "I thought I told you—,"

"You told me. Many times." She retorted calmly, not feeling in the mood to argue with him.

"Is it right that someone raped my wife? Is it right that people don't pay for their crimes?" Sweeney twitched with irritation before he placed his hand on his sheathed razor.

"But you're just being like anyone else!" she shouted with defiance. "You're committing a crime by hurting them."

"This is not a crime! They get what they deserve and they all deserve to die!" He yelled loudly and pulled his razor out of its sheath. "You will listen to me!"

"Killing them is not the right way to give them what they deserve! They always get what they deserve if you let the world take its course!" Anne darted for the door, although she was becoming angrier by the second. "You listen to me! And don't you tell me what to listen to! I listen to myself, not you!"

"You're just like all the other people. If that's what you think, then get out!" Sweeney roared and charged towards her with the razor pointed directly at her.

Anne pulled open the door and fled the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She ran down the stairs and away from the shop, fearing that Sweeney might kill her. She tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen to her. If he understood what she meant, everything would've been fine. But he didn't… and that was a huge problem…

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A/N: Please leave a review. And I'm really sorry if I don't update soon enough!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello again, my readers! I apologize for such a slow update! It's just that I've been busy with my other stories and school work, but now that I'm on a small school break, I have time to write both of my stories! ^^ And thanks so much my fantastic reviewers and readers! And a huge THANKS to all my faithful readers who had faith in my story and had faith in me to not give up on this story. And I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

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Anne managed to get Toby to leave the shop with her to go to the St. Dunstan's Market. She was afraid to go back to the shop alone to see that mad barber throw another one of his childish tantrums. Well, she wasn't exactly afraid of him; she just disliked his angry mood. She tried so hard to make him understand what he was doing was wrong, but the message wasn't getting through his thick obstinate skull. Why was it that hard?

"Ma'am." Toby held out a bouquet of yellow flowers in her face, grinning from ear to ear, breaking her out of her pesky thoughts. "I thought you might like these."

"Why, they're pretty." Anne laughed cheerfully, taking the bouquet in her hands and examining each of the flowers. "My favorites are the daisies… Thank you." She smiled gleefully at him and linked arms with him, walking back to the shop. It had been at least an hour since they left the shop and maybe Sweeney would have cooled down by the time she returned back.

"No problem." Toby replied happily, glancing at Anne's shop coming into view. His brown eyes traveled upward to the second floor, the barbershop, where the ghost had to be. No matter how many times Anne denied that there was a ghost up there, there was nothing that would change his mind to believe that there wasn't a ghost residing upstairs. He had to prove it to make sure that he wasn't just seeing things. "Are you opening the shop today?"

"Just for dinner. I have some errands to run and you can rest downstairs. I've got to clean the bathroom out and…" Anne trailed off, frowning at the thought that popped into her head. '_And post those 'in need of apprentice' flyers around to have many men come for their funeral…' _a small voice in the back of her head quipped cynically. Her parched lips curled downwards distastefully and she tightened her arm against Toby's arm, pulling him closer.

She pulled out her key from her dress pocket and shoved it into the lock of her shop door, twisting it before pulling it out. Opening the door, she unlinked arms with Toby and walked inside, waltzing to the living room with the flowers in her hands, trying to forget about Sweeney. She found a light blue flower vase in a corner and gently placed the beautiful flowers inside while she carried it to the kitchen.

"Toby, would you mind filling up this vase with water?" She asked politely, smiling warmly at the young man who eagerly nodded his head.

"Of course." He took the vase out of her hands and went to fill up the vase with water, leaving her in the kitchen by herself.

She felt a chilly shiver go down her spine and at that moment, she sensed that she was about to have a visit from Sweeney, the pernicious man she wished to avoid. She was still upset from his immature tantrum earlier and she decided that she wasn't going to help him until he apologized. Like they both said, they expected each other to act somewhat respectable if they were going to work together, and Sweeney wasn't acting respectable at all.

" I'm not working with you until you apologize." Anne spoke calmly, smiling inwardly at the mental image of him trying to apologize. She could envisage him, sputtering with nervousness unlike his usual self, trying to act like a gentleman, nothing similar to the gruff reclusive man he was. Though, that image didn't last for long because she heard the grumpy old voice from the impassive man.

"I won't." Sweeney growled lowly, his voice rasp and husky. He stiffly stood right behind her, staring down at the top of her head. He didn't owe her anything; she was supposed to work for him.

She turned around with abruptness and stumbled back, bewildered at their closeness. Somehow, he kept invading her personal space, giving her no space to breathe. "You said it yourself. 'If we are going to work together, I expect you to act somewhat respectable'. Is that not what you said?" She retorted hotly, arching a brow at him triumphantly.

Sweeney stared blankly at her, grimacing when he recalled that moment, that terrible moment that made him regret his words. "Yes." He grudgingly admitted with defeat, though his voice was laced with heat, covering the defeat in his tone. He irately gritted his teeth together and his right hand twitched, hovering over his sheathed razor. Deciding that it wasn't a good idea to express his anger at this moment, he withdrew his hand to his chest, away from his precious dagger.

"So… are you apologizing, or do you wish for me to stop working with you?" She said mockingly, a victorious grin creeping up to her face. At last, she proved to him that he wasn't going to boss her around anymore. There was a weird silence that filled the room and not even the sharpest knife could sever the thick humid atmosphere. She slowly leaned closer to him, enthusiastically waiting for him to say those words.

He was about to viciously bare his teeth at her, but he didn't… How was it that he ended up in this predicament? He dangerously stepped closer to her, his ominous black eyes glowering at her innocent brown eyes that nonchalantly stared back. He opened his mouth slightly and then, he closed his mouth quickly, his stubbornness not allowing him to say those words. He bent closer to her, his head less than an inch away, his icy lips so close to hers.

She felt his cold breath caressing her lips that began to tremble; yet, she felt compelled to stay standing where she was. He was so cold… his lips were cold… she could feel the frostiness radiating from his body, his lips, from his hands, from him…

His lips lightly brushed against hers for a moment and he felt a jolt of warmth surge through his cold body. The warmth was indescribable, so unfathomable, and so… alive. It was like feeling alive again; for once in his ghostly years, he felt strangely animate… like a living human being!

"Here you go!" Toby blurted loudly, arriving in the room with the water-filled vase of flowers in his hands.

Anne immediately sprung away from Sweeney, blushing with nervousness as she met the gaze of Sweeney. "Th-thanks, Toby," she stammered apprehensively, turning her head to look at Toby with a plastered on smile. Did she just kiss Sweeney? No… he kissed her! Who would kiss him in the first place? She wouldn't… would she?

Toby nodded his head absentmindedly, a strange tingly feeling creeping through his body, the feeling he would get when he was upstairs, yet right now, he was downstairs. He inquisitively narrowed his eyes, searching the room for signs of that beastly ghost man. There was not a single trace of Sweeney Todd, but he couldn't tell because Anne was the only one who knew of Sweeney and could see him. "Do you feel something… in this room?" Toby questioned, his eyes darting about the room.

"What?" Anne's gaze flickered between the frozen Sweeney and the jumpy Toby. "Feel what?" she repeated quietly, her gaze finally settling between the two men, her eyes set on Sweeney. His diaphanous face was immovable and distantly aloof. She noted how pale he looked and how his eyes had a dark rim around them, probably from stress and the lack of sleep. He was handsome in his own way, though he could use some color to his face.

"A strange tingly feeling." Toby replied softly, taking a few steps toward her before he began to examine the room again. Maybe she did feel it too but she was hiding it to save that evil barber. He felt awkwardly hurt that she would protect that callous man than side with him, unless he was just imagining things…No, it wasn't possible for him to be imagining things…

"No." She stated, her eyes locking with Sweeney's eyes, feeling that her eyes were glued in their position, incapable of moving. She couldn't draw herself to look away from his captivating stare, and she solely forgot her true purpose—to receive an apology.

"Never mind." Toby whispered, though he was far from ignoring the presence of the ghost. "I'll just… relax for the night shift." He slinked away to the living room, throwing her one last glance while he left the room. He had to find a way to creep up the stairs without her knowing… perhaps, he would give it a try in an hour or two.

"Well?" Anne tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, remembering her intent. "Apologize or not?" She watched him suppress a sneer that quivered on his pale lips.

"I…" Sweeney trailed off, wordless for a moment, anger swelling through his veins. He had to apologize otherwise she wouldn't work with him… "I'm sorry," he whispered quietly, almost too quiet. He avoided her gaze and stood tautly in his spot, deciding whether to float back upstairs or wait for Anne to reply.

She knew it was difficult for him to apologize so she didn't make him say it again, though he mumbled the apology in a manner that wasn't very proper. But she had to conclude that she tortured him enough. "Good. I'll post the flyers around right now; is that fine with you?"

"Yes," said Sweeney before he floated through the ceiling, reminiscing how their lips met so abruptly. Why did he kiss her in the first place? Now, he looked like a slobbery mangy mutt, and it wasn't as if he fancied her. Lucy was the only one in his heart. Lucy… _Lucy. Lucy. Lucy… Anne… Anne-Marie?

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_A/N: Please leave a review! I'm not so sure about the next update but again, I will try not to give up on this story!


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